Those work fine once you learn them but have limits. With that cooker...It is over priced for what you get. Even buying a Drum online, with a little skill and a Drill you can gather parts and make a larger drum smoker, 55 Gallon, for Half that price. Without a water pan or diffuser of some style that system is going to be hotter closer to the fire from radiant Infrared heat. The bottom of the hanging meat will be done or burnt faster than the top is going to cook. Hanging is very limited. Great for Ribs and Sausage but most stuff goes on Racks. Yes there is one included but it has to sit close the fire, way hot, and the rest of the space is wasted.
For $300 you can get a
Weber Smokey Mountain 18 inch that is a similar size, will be much, MUCH easier to control, has two racks and a water pan that can be used with water or filled with sand for great heat diffusion. You are going to want to purchase a separate Thermometer to monitor Meat and Smoker Temp anyway as very few mounted Therms are accurate or fail in short order. There are also Electric and Propane Smokers in that price range. I would cancel the order and spend some time looking around here at the options...JJ
